Laminated beehive and frame support therein



April 22, 1969 a; PAOLETTI 3,439,354

LAMINATED BEEHIVE AND FRAME SUPPORT THEREIN Filed March 11, 1966 of z 2INVENTOR GIOVANNI PHOLETT! ma/WW April 22, 1969 G. PAOLETTI 3,439,364

LAMINATED BEEHIVE AND FRAME SUPPORT THEREIN Filed March 11, 1966 Sheet 2of 2 Fig.3 8 D F|g.4

IN VENTOR GIOVHNN/ FHOLETT/ WWW/11 United States Patent 90 Int. Cl. Aolk47/02, 47/04 U.S. C]. 6-2 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Amulti-section beehive is disclosed as including walls for-med ofsynthetic heat insulating material, each wall comprising an innersynthetic resin layer, an outer synthetic layer and a synthetic resinfiller between the two layers. The upper edges of the side walls of twoof the sections are formed as bevelled edges to support cross barssuspending frames, each cross her having a pair of longitudinally spaceddownwardly opening triangular notches arranged to engage over thebevelled edges of a pair of opposite walls, both the bevelled edges andthe notches being of right triangle form and the apex angle of thenotches being somewhat larger than the apex angle of the bevelled edges.Pressure exerting means are provided to separate the sections and toremove a roof or top closure even though parts may be adhered togetherby propolisation.

Background of the invention The invention relates to a beehive whereinthe structures generally, and in particular the walls, are not made ofsolid wood and thus heavy, as presently, but are made of relativelylight and highly insulating materials.

In accordance with the invention, the beehive comprises walls eachincluding inner and outer panels of synthetic material enclosing anintermediate filler of insulating and generally expanded syntheticmaterial. The inner panels are formed with edges at their upper ends forsuspending the frames for the wax sheets, with the beehive beingarranged to accommodate up to thirteen of these frames. The upper edgesof the inner frames may also be used to suspend panels of insulatingmaterial arranged to limit the cavity. when the latter contains asmaller number of frames than the maximum. These upper edges of theinner panels are preferably formed with bevelled edges. 7

The present invention is illustrated in the drawings enclosed accordingto an embodiment. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows an overall longitudinal section of the beehive;

FIGS. 2a and 2b are perspective views of portions of the base of thebeehive;

FIG. 3 shows the beehive in cross-section;

FIG. 4 shows the beehive in horizontal section in reduced size;

FIGS. 5 and 6 show two details; and

FIG. 7 shows in perspective view the upper portion, the cover beingdotted.

As shown in the drawing enclosed, A indicates the beehive base, B theportion overlying the beehive case, on which the small frames aremounted, C the third portion of the beehive case, wherein the frames forhoney are mounted, and D the covering portion.

The different side Walls in the sections A, B and C are made of anintermediate insulating material thickness 1 flanked by a laminar outercoating 2 and an inner one 3, made of plastic material such as plasticlaminate or the like. The three components of the walls in the threesections A, B and C are denoted by the same references.

3,439,364 Patented Apr. 22, 1969 ice At the upper edges of sections Band C there are angle-shaped bars 4 and 5, respectively. Each bar 4 and5 forms, with the upper corner of the inner panel 3, a channel havingone leg 3b and 36, respectively, arranged to support the upper bar 6aand 7a of frames 6 and 7, respectively, for the wax sheets. Frames 6 arein section A and frames 7 are in section B. The largest number of frameswhich can be accommodated is thirteen. :When the number of frames isreduced with respect to the maximum which can be mounted in the beehive,insulating panels 7x, shown in FIG. 4, may be hung in the ,position ofthe absent frames 6 and 7, these insulating panels having a substantialthickness. Thereby, the smaller number of frames may be enclosed eitherbetween two panels 7x or between one of the beehive walls and a panel7x, leaving the excess space vacant.

An upper closing wall, denoted by 8, is provided with an inner coatingplate or panel 8a, while the upper edge of the wall 8 may havesupporting posts 9 designed to support a covering 10; this covering isdeveloped like a parallelepiped box made of hot deformed thermoplasticmaterial or the like, whose side walls 10a surround the covering and thecase side walls.

The covering D, i.e. panel 88a, may be detached from section C by meansof screw members. Said screw members include screws 12 engaged in nuts13 incorporated in the frame of covering 8 and designed to act on smallplates 14 mounted at the upper end of the side walls of section C. Withthis arrangement, by acting on the hexagon screws 12, the cover may bedetached from section C even if the slot between said section C and thecover is sealed by propolisation. For the same reasons, i.e. in order toobtain the detachment of section C from section B, screw mean-s may beprovided. For this case, in the frame formedby the upper bars 4 ofsection B, two metal boxes 15 are embedded, each of which comprises aninclined wall heel 16 cooperating with a wedge 17, capable of beingoperated with screw means 18 from the outside, also in order to effectdetachment in case of a sealing due to propolisation.

In the base inferior section A, which has suitable supports 19, there isprovided an inclined bottom plane 20 projecting from the access opening21; a board 22 (see especially FIG. 2b), which may be. received in seatsformed by plates 23 on base A, may be located in one of two verticalpositions, so as to rest on the plane 20 either with the edge forming awide cavity 22a (in order to have a relatively wide opening) or with theedge having a small cavity 22b, when a relatively limited opening isrequired. Additional walls 24, linked at 25, may be adjusted throughouter knobs 26.

What I claim is:

1. A beehive comprising, in combination, a base; pairs of opposed sidewalls extending upwardly from the lbase, each pair including an innerside wall and an outer side wall, one pair of opposite inner side wallsconstituting frame support means; at least one frame supported on theframe support means; said frame supporting opposite inner side wallshaving bevelled upper edges, and the inner surface of said framesupporting walls extending in a substantially vertical plane and thetops of said supporting walls sloping downwardly and outwardly towardthe associated outer walls; each frame including a frame suspending barextending across its upper edge and formed with a pair of spaced,downwardly opening triangular notches to engage over said bevelled.edges; each notch having a substantially vertical inner edge and asloping outer edge; the distance between the inner edges of said notchesbeing substantially equal to the distance between said inner surfaces ofsaid frame supporting walls, and the outer edges of said notches havinga slope angle greater than the slope angle of said tops of saidframesupporting walls, whereby the outer edges of said notches diverge fromthe outer surfaces of said bevelled edges at a relatively small angle ofdivergence; and a cover seated on said side walls.

2. A beehive, as claimed in claim 1, in which said side walls are formedof heat insulating synthetic material.

3. A beehive, as claimed in claim 2, in which each of said side wallsincludes inner and outer panels of synthetic material and asubstantially thick filler of synthetic material enclosed between saidinner and outer panels.

4. A beehive, as claimed in claim 1, including plural superposedsections including a base section having said base and at least twointermediated sections supported on said base; and force applying meansoperable between said roof and the upper one of said intermediatesections and between said two intermediate sections to force said roofand said upper intermediate section apart and to force said twointermediate sections apart, irrespective of propolisation between saidtwo sections and between said upper intermediate section and said cover.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,274,090 2/1942 Olson 6-22,340,219 1/1944 Hawkins 62 2,344,284 3/ 1944 Colley 610 2,522,5119/1950 Hageman 61

